— No. 1 in the nation in total offense (3,169 yards rushing and passing).

— No. 2 in the nation in rushing yards for all players, not just QBs (1,185).

— Tied for sixth in scoring (90 points on 15 rushing touchdowns).

— No. 23 in the country, and No. 1 in the MAC, in passing efficiency (152.2).

Lynch says his eye-popping stats are as much a reflection of his teammates as of himself.

“I’ve got tons of playmakers around me; I just have to get the ball in their hands,” Lynch said.

What the first-year starter does not have is any preseason hype.

“There wasn’t a lot of attention on him because he hadn’t earned it yet,” coach Dave Doeren said. “You have to have a body of work. Now he does.”

But he doesn’t have a showcase game. LeShon Johnson ran for 306 yards against Iowa when he finished sixth in the Heisman vote in 1993. Garrett Wolfe, NIU’s next-highest Heisman finisher, had 171 yards rushing and 114 receiving against No. 1-ranked Ohio State when he finished 11th in 2006.

Lynch ran for 119 yards, but passed for only 54, in his lone showcase game, a last-minute loss to Iowa in his first career start.

“Playing on a big stage and playing well is a big deal to the media, and it should be,” Doeren said.

Lynch has two more chances: An ESPN2 Wednesday night game against Toledo for the MAC West title and, if NIU wins that, the MAC championship game Nov. 30 on ESPN2.

And November, Doeren said, is when the Heisman is won and lost in years like this when Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck have moved on and there are no clear favorites.

“To be the Heisman winner, you have to do everything,” Doeren said. “You’ve got to be almost perfect. All he needs to do is continue to do what he’s doing and not make mistakes. ... You can lose that award pretty easily in the last month.”
Just finishing in the top 10 would be a major accomplishment for Lynch, but he just wants to repeat as the MAC champion.

“I’m just trying to win games over here,” said Lynch, who has topped 350 yards seven games in a row. “I didn’t go into the season trying to prove anyone wrong or turn heads. I knew what I could do throwing the ball.

“And I’m always trying to improve. I am not where I want to be yet. I had to get those first few games out of my system. I’m starting to settle down, but I’ve got tons of improvement to go.”